Machine for closing and sealing the ends of cartons.



No. 787,877. PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

W. H. DOBLE.

MACHINE FOR CLOSING AND SEALING THE ENDS 0P GARTONS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.4,1904.

6 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

No. 787,877. PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

' w. H. DOBLE.

MACHINE FOR CLOSING AND SEALING THE ENDS OF GARTONS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1904.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 787,877. PATBNTED APR. 18, 1905.

W. H. DOBLE.

MACHINE FOR CLOSING AND SEALING THE ENDS OP OARTONS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4. 1904.

6 SHEETS-SHBET 3.

65 7 U J6 25 0? 66 I /2 /7 5 5 /6 W J7 7- 6 7113367166568. 1 w 4 filUCILtOP.

%/AM 1 M No. 787,877. PATENTED APR. 18, 1905-. W. H. DOBLE'.

MACHINE FOR CLOSING AND SEALING THE ENDS OF CARTONS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4. 1904.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

6 7 g Eff; |I' /6 M @i infill /5 w'i msses 17111671117 22.4044, flhemma 04mm f kz/aw m a MM No. 787,877. PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

U/iines 6 es:

W. H. DOBLE.

MACHINE FOR CLOSING AND SEALING THE ENDS 0F GARTONS.

. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4. 1904.

6 SHETS-SHBET 5.

PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

W. H. DOBLE.

MACHINE FOR CLOSING AND SEALING THE ENDS 0F GARTONS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4. 1904.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

witnesses Patented ApriI 18, 1905.

UNITED STATES ATENT FFicE.

IVILLIAM H. DOBLE, OF QUINCY, FIASSzUII'IUSIC'ITS.

MACHINE FOR CLOSING AND SEALING THE ENDS OF CARTONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,877, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed January 4, 1904- Serial No. 187,629.

Quincy. in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and I useful Improvements in Machines for (Jlosing and Scaling the Ends of Cartons, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the'prosent invent-ion is to provide a machine to automatically close and seal the liaps at the top end of the carton after the carton is lilled.

The invention is specially intended to be employed in combination with a machine for lilling cartons. especially where the operation of the lilling-mzwhiue is dependent upon the tipping of the scale.

The invention will now be fully described by reference to the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out at the close of the specilication.

In thedrawings, Figure I is a plan ofa machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation viewed from the right of Fig. I. Fig. 3 isan end elevation viewed from the left of Fig. 2. Fig. T is a detail plan of the package-moving lingers and their operating mechanism. parts shown in Fig. I, with the lingers engaged with packages. detail of one of the linger-carriers. Fig. T is a detail side elevation, partly in section, showing the clutch mechanism and tripping-lever for starting and stopping the package-actuating mechanism. clutch on line s 8 of Fig. 7. Fig. is a sec tional detail showing the gluing mechanism and glue-holder. Fig. 11,) is a vertical section of a weighing mechanism adapted for use in combination with the liap folding and sealing mechanism to actuate the same. Fig. 11 is a detail elevation at the rear of the weighing mechanism. showing the camlever which is engaged by one of the package-moving lingers and the connections for actuating the rock-shaft to open the scale-hopper valve. Fig. 12 is a detail, partly in section, on line I2 I) of Fig. ll. Fig. I3 is an enlarged detail elevation showing the clutch and some of the connections for driving and stopping the package-nuwing ring.

Fig. is a detail plan of the Fig. (5 is a sectional 2 Fig. 8 is a section of the I machine. trolled by the tipping of the scale.

The carton lilliug and weighing mechanism shown is like that shown in IatentNo. 716,007, dated December 16, 1902. It may be either a single-hopper machine or a double-homici- The carton -n1oving rin is con- The cartons to he lilled are givena step-by-step movement along the trackl by means of lingers 4.8, which project from the intermittently-rotating ring SI to a position on the scale 90. If the carton has been partially lilled through a preliminary feed, it will receive the remainder of its lead through the hopper 91 while on the scale. If a single-hopper machine is used, the carton may receive its entire load while on the scale. The tipping of the scalebeam 92 under weight of the lilled carton actuates mechanism which shuts olf the feed of material to the carton and also causes the carrier-ring St to start. The lilled carton is engaged by one of the lingers T8 and removed from the scale and pushed onto the table or plate 2, along which the cartons are carried in their passage to and from the several instrumentalities for sealing the upper end closingllaps. \Vhen the scale tips, a reciprocating member 93 is -aused to move ina direction to close the scale-hopper feed.

The carrier-ring 8 t isdriven by a pinion 9% on shaft 95, and shaft 95 is connected by a clutch 96 96' and bevel-gears 97 and 98 with a shaft99. Thedrivingmember96oftheclutch is fasttoshafttl5,aml the upper memberor shell 96 is fast to the lmb of bevel-gearQT, butloose on shaft In the inner periphery of shell 96 are a series of scalloped recesses I00, adapted to be engaged by a pawl 101 on the upper end of shaft 102 to lock the two members of the clutch together, and when so locked the shaft 95 will revolve and move the carrierring 8%. A spring 103 tends to hold the pawl 101 thus engaged. ()n the lower endof shaft 102 is a dog which when the reciprocating frame 93 is in its rearward position and the hopper-valve is open is engaged by a stoplever 105 in a manner to hold the pawl-shaft 102 turned, so that the pawl 101 will be out of engagement with any of the recesses 100 and the shaft )5 will not turn.

hen the reciprocating frame 9?, moves forward to close the scale-hopper valve, a projection on'the side of the frame will by its engagement with wedge-arm 107 and by engagement of said wedge-arm 107 with arm 112 push the sliding pin 108 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 13, thereby causing the lug 109, which is carried by the sliding pin 108 and is in engagement with arm 110 of stop-lever 105, to turn stop-lever 105 on its pivot 111 and disengage the stop-lever from the dog 104, thereby allowing spring 103 to throw pawl 101 into engagement with one of the recesses in shell 96, and the pinion 94 is caused to revolve and move the carrier-ring 84. Carried on shaft is an eccentric cam 113, which when said shafthas partially completed a revo lution will by its engagement with arm 114, projecting from sliding pin 108, turn said sliding pin 108 on its axis far enough to turn said arm 112 down out of engagement with wedgearm 107, and spring 115, which was compressed when theslidingpin 108 was pushed by the sliding frame 93, will expand and push said sliding pin in the reverse direction back into the position shown in Fig. 13, bringingthe stop-lever down into position to again intercept the dog 104 at the end of the revolution of shaft 95. When the dog 104 is thus intercepted, the two members of the clutch will be disengaged and the rotation of pinion 94 and of the carrierring 84 will be stopped, the pinion 104 having made one complete revolution. After the eccentric cam 113 has moved aroun:l far enough for the stop-lever 105 to drop down into its intercepting position the said cam will before the end of its revolution permit spring 115 to turn sliding pin 108 on its axis, so as to bring arm 112 back into the position shown in Fig. 13 ready to be engaged by wedge-arm 107 at the next feed-valve-closing movement of the reciprocating frame 93, the wedge-arm 107 having been turned down out of its engaging position, as will be hereinafter described, so that arm 112 may be brought up into position.

There are various forms of mechanism by which the scale-hopper valve may be closed and the carrier-ring actuated by the tipping of the scale-beam and the valve opened again when a package is brought to the scale. The mechanism shown in the drawings is operated by compressed air and is as follows: In one end of a double cylinder116 is a piston whose stem 117 is connected with the forward crosshead of the reciprocating frame 93, and in the other end of said cylinder is a piston whose stem 118 is connected with the rear cross-head of the reciprocating frame 93. The two cross-heads are connected together by side rods, which, together with the crossheads, constitute what is called the reciprocating frame. The double cylinder 116 consists of two cylinders placed end to end, their outer ends being open. Between the two pistons is an air-chest 119, connected with a compressed-air chamber and having ducts which lead into the two members of the double cylinder 116. Moving in the airchest 119 is a piston-valve 120, which as it rises and falls admits air-pressure alternately to the opposite chambers 121 and 122 of the cylinder 116, and thereby drives the pistons 117 and 118 and moves the reciprocating frame 93 to open and close the scale-hopper valve. Piston-valve is connected by a rod 124 and crank 125 with a rocker-shaft126, which actuates the said piston. A torsion-spring 127 tends to rock said shaft 126 in a direction to pull down the piston-valve 120 and thereby apply the air-pressure to drive the reciprocating frame 93 in a direction to close the scale-hopper valve. This tendency is resisted by the engagement of a stop-lever 128, fixed to the rock-shaft with the head of the pivoted vertical tripping-lever 129, whose lower end strikes against the end of the short arm of the horizontal lever 130. When the scale beam tips under weight of a load, the hook 131 on the scale-beam engages the long arm of lever and tips it up, releasing the lower end of vertical lever 129, so that the rock-shaft 126 is allowed to turn under pressure of spring 127. The stop-lever 128 rides down along the side of the curved head of lever 129 and throws forward the lower end of lever 129, so that it stands above the reduced rear portion of lever 130. The mechanism for rocking the shaft 126 in adirection to lift the piston-valve 120 and apply the pressure to move the reciprocating frame rearwardly and open the scale-hopper valve is actuated by the moving carrier-ring 84 and is as follows: A cam-lever 132 is pivoted at 133 to the fixed ring 134. l/Vhen the carrier-ring 84 moves, one of the fingers 48 rides over the cam-lever and turns it down. The movable end of said camlever is connected by a link 135 with the lever 136, which is fast to clutch-disk 137 on rockershaft 126. Disk 137 forms the drivingmember of a clutch and engages with disk 138, which is slidable on shaft 126 but rotates with it. Projecting from the side of disk 137 is a beveled tooth 142, which engages with a beveled notch 143 in the side of disk 138. Disk 138 is keyed to rocker-shaft 126, so as to slide thereon, but not to turn except with the said shaft. A torsion spring 139, which is of greater power than spring 127, tends to lift cam-lever 132 and hold it in contact with carrier-finger 48, and when the clutch-disks 137 and 138 are, in engagement with each other it turns the rock-shaft 126 in a direction to lift of the pivoted upright lever 1 11, which extends up into the path of the reciprocating frame 93, which operates the scale-hopper valve. A spring (not shown) normally holds the upright lever 111 in a position to keep the disk 138 near enough to disk 137 for the tooth 112 to engage with notch 113. scale-valve is closed, the piston-valve being down, the beveled face of tooth 112 will be toward the beveled face of notch 113 and upright lever 129 will rest on top of the notched end of lever 130.

1Vhen the ring 81 begins to revolve, the carrier-linger18 rides on the inclined back of cam-lever 132 and depresses the said cam-lever against the tension of its spring 139, and by means of the link 135 and lever 136 the disk 137 is turned backward, causing its tooth 112 to ride out of the notch 113, pushing the disk 138 to one side and turning the upright lever 111 slightly on its pivot and against the pressure of its spring. (Not shown.) After the ring 81 in its rotation has brought the linger -18 to the top of the inclined back of the cam-lever the continued rotation of the ring will allow the cam-lever to be turned up by the spring 139 and turn the disk 137 in the reverse direction, bringing the tooth 137 again into alinement with the notch 112:3,and the spring which presses on upright lever 111 will throw lever 111, so as to bring the tooth 112 into eng gement with notch 1 13. The continued pressure of spring 139 after the clutch-disks are in engagement with each other will cause the rock-shaft 126 to turn in a direction to lift the connecting-rod 121. and move the piston-valve upward, and thereby actuate the reciprocating frame to open the scale-valve. The tension of spring 139 must be strong enough to overcome the torsionspring 127. which tends to rock the shaft 126 in a direction to pull down the piston and close the scale-valve. \Vhen the rock-shaft 126 has partially turned under the influence of spring 139, the pin 111) rides up along the head of lever 129 on the opposite side from stop-lever 12S and turns lever 129 far enough to disengage it from the upper side of lever 131). The forward end of lever .130 will then drop and raise the rear end high enough to prevent the lever 129 from again moving forward under the action of lever 128 farther than to engage the rear end of lever 139 until said lever 139 is tipped by the scale-beam 92 under a load. \Vhen the reciprocating t'ramc moves rearward, it engages upright lever 1-11 and turns it up far enough to disengage the clutch-disks 137 and 138 from each other, thus releasing the rock-shaft 126 from torsion of the spring 139 and allowing it to respond to the spring 127. The stop-lever 128, which engages lever 129, prevents the rock-shalt 126 from turning far enough to shift valve 121) until the lever 129 is disengaged from the end of lever 130 by the tip- \Vhen the ping ot' the scale-beam. \Vhen the scalebeam tipped by a load, the lever 129 will be disengaged from the end of lever 130, and the lever 129 being free to turn the torsion of spring 127 will turn rock-shalt 126 and cause piston 129 to move down and admit pressure to close the scale-hopper valve.

The sealing mechanism comprises means for moving the package along on the table a certain distance for each cycle of operation, means for engaging and partially spreading the two side tlaps during such movement, a linger which engages and folds the rearmost of the end tlaps, mechanism which then engages and folds the advancing end l'lap down over the said lirst 't'olded or rear end llap, and means for spreading farther outward the two side tlaps, and a carrier which moves the package with llaps thus spread beneath gluing mechanism, and mechanism which then turns over and seals the two side flaps.

The mechanism for moving the packages after they are delivered by the carrier of the weighing and lilling machine onto the table 2 will be lirst described.

)jlounted on the guide-rtxls 1 5 are the sliding blocks 6 7. Fulcrumcd at 8 to the sliding block '7 is an oscillating lever 9. Fixed to one end of lever 9 is an upright linger-carrying arm 13, to which the paclnige-movinglingers 14) are attached. The other end of said lever 9 is formed with a slot 11 to engage a stud 12, which projects from the sliding block 6. On the upright arm 13 are projections 11, in which are held adjustable stop-screws 15, which limit the arc of oscillation of lever 9. The stop-screws are so adjusted that when the lingers 19 are in their outward position, as in Fig. 1, the hooked ends will be outside of the path of movement of the packages, and when turned into their inward position, as in Fig. 5, they will be in position to engage the package. hlounted also on the guide-rods 1 are sliding blocks 6 7, carrying an oscillating lever 9 and having package-moving linger 1t) and other connected parts similar to the pack age-carrying linger and connected parts just described.

Projecting from sliding block 6 is a boss 16, which is connected with boss 16', projecting from block 6', by a rod 17. Pivotcd at one end on a stud mounted in boss 16 is a connecting-rod 18, the other end of said connecting-rod being pivoted to one end of a lever 19. The other end of said lever 19 is lived to a rock-shaft 20, which is journaled in the frame 21 and bracket 22. Fixed on the end of rock-shaft 21), which projects beyond the bracket 22, is a lever 23, to the outer end of which is pivoted one end of a connecting-rod 21. The other end of said rod 2% is pivoted to the clutch-disk 25 by means of a crank-pin 26. Clutch-disk 25 is loosely mounted on shaft 27, which is driven by pulley 2S on shaft 31, through spur-gears 29 and 30. (See Fig.

1.) Fixed to shaft 27 is a flanged hub 32. Between the flange 35 of hub 32 and the disk 25 is a ratchet-wheel 33. Said ratchet-wheel has an annular flange 34, which loosely fits around the outside of the flange 35 of hub 32. Friction-washers 36 37, preferably of leather, are placed on the two faces of the flange 35. On the outer side of the washer 37 is a clampring 38. The washers and flange are compressed between the ratchet-wheel 33 and clamp-ring 38 by means of screws 39, thus binding the ratchet-wheel to the flanged hub frictionally, so that the ratchet will normally revolve with the hub.

Pivoted to the disk 25 is a dog or pawl 40, adapted to engage with ratchet 32. A spring 41 tends to press the pawl into engagement with the ratchet, and when so engaged the disk 25 will revolve. The pawl is, however, normally held out of such engagement with the ratchet by means of a stop 42, which engages with a pin 43, projecting laterally from the heel 44 of the pawl. ried by a laterally-oscillatory arm 45, which is fast to the vertical rock-shaft 46. Said rock-shaft 46 has fixed thereto a finger 47, which projects into the path of the packagemoving fingers 48, carried by the rotating carrier connected with the weighing and package-filling machine, Figs 1 and 7.

When one of the package-moving fingers 48 on the weighing-machine engages the finger 47, the shaft 46 is turned, thereby causing the arm 45 to swing laterally, so as to withdraw the stop 42 from engagement with the pin 43 on the heel of the pawl. hen the stop 42 is thus disengaged, the pawl responds to the pressure of spring 41 and engages with the ratchet 33, causing the disk 25 to rotate, as already described. As soon as the package-moving finger 48 has passed from engagement with finger 47 a torsion-spring 49 turns rock-shaft 46 in the reverse direction, thereby swinging arm 45 back again, so that the stop 42 is in position to engage the heel of the pawl and trip the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet at the end of one revolution. A staple 50 is preferably used to limit the swinging movement of the arm 45.

hen the disk 25 revolves as just described, it actuates the crank-pin 26 and the link and lever connections to reciprocate the sliding blocks 6 7 6 7 forward and back one stroke. In the forward stroke, which carries the cartons one step forward, the blocks 6 6', being directly connected with the rod 17, will have an initial movement before the blocks 7 7, thereby turning the levers 9 9 until the rear stop-screws 15 15 strike the sliding blocks, as shown in Fig. 5, and bringing the bent ends of the fingers 1O 10 into engagement with the packages. Then the sliding blocks 7 7 will also begin to move forward, carrying with them the fingers 1O 10, which pull The stop 42 is carthe packages along with them during the remainder of the forward stroke. During the last half of the rotation of disk 25 the sliding blocks will be moved rearwardly. The friction of blocks 7 7 on the rods will be suflicient to retard the rearward movement of the said blocks until after an initial movement of blocks 6 6 far enough to turn the levers 9 9' sufficient tobring the forward stop-screws 15 15 into engagement with the sliding blocks and throwing the fingers 1O 10' outward, after which all the blocks will slide rearward into the position shown in 4 ready to be moved into engagement with another package when the carrier again moves.

As already stated, when the package is carried forward by the finger 10, which is the first to engage it, the side flaps are partially spread out and the rear flap is first folded and then the forward flap is folded. The mechanisms for performing these operations will now be described.

Projecting rearwardly and upwardly from the upper part of the frame of the machine are the supporting bracket-arms 51 51, in which is journaled the rock-shaft 52. Fast to the rock-shaft 52 is an arm 53, having at the end a finger 54, which is inclined downwardly and forwardly. Surrounding the rockshaft 52 is a spiral spring 55, one end of which is fast to the shaft and the other end of which is fast to the arm 51. The tension of the spring is such as to tend to throw the finger 54 downwardly. Also fast to the rock-shaft 52 is a short lever, the outer end of which engages, by means of a swiveling pin 60, a block 58, through which slides a rod 59. The lower end of said rod 59 is pivotally connected with the connecting-rod 18. Fast to rod 59 is a stop-collar 61, which, during the latter part of the rearward movement of the connecting-bar 18, engages the block 58 and raises the finger-bearing arm 53 against the pressure of the spring 55.

.During the first part of the advance movement of the rod 18 the movement of the rod 59 and its stop-collar 61 permits the rockshaft 52 to turn under pressure of spring 55, and therefore to turn down the finger 54. a package 3 is in position, the finger 54 will engage the rear flap 62 and fold it down. The downward movement of the finger-bearing arm 53 is limited by the finger 63 engaging with a stop-pin 64 on bracket-arm 51. After the stop-pin is thus engaged the continued movement of the rod 18 will cause the rod 59 to slide through the block 58.

Journaled on the rock-shaft 52 on opposite sides of the finger-bearing arm 53 are arms 65 66, carrying at their outer ends flap-spreading fingers 67 68. Springs 69 7 O tend to press the fingers 67 68 downwardly. A cross-bar 71 above the finger-bearing arm 53 connects the fingers 67 68. This cross-bar rests on top of arm 53, so that when arm 53 rises it lifts the arms 66 and the lingers carried thereby and prevents the fingers 6T 68 from moving down under pressure of springs 69 70 until the linger-bearing arm 53 moves down.

When the arm 53 and its finger 5% move down to turn in the rear flap, the lingers 6T 68 will also be turned down under the presthe downward movement of the folding-linger. Secured to a bracket T5, carried by the frame, is a flap folding and spreading plate Tl, which 18 made tapering and upwardly curved toward its projecting end to engage with and fold the flap on the advance side of the carton. It is also so shaped as to engage the two side flaps and turn them down farther than they have already been turned by the fingers 6T 68. The plate H is at such an elevation that the carton can pass under it while the side flaps are laterally extended.

Journaled in the bracket is a shaft 76, carrying a glue-feed roll 7T, which revolves in a glue-pan T8. Secured to the upper side of bracket T5 is a scraper T9 to remove the surplus glue. Carried by the shaft 27, already described, are the gluing-rolls 81, which engage and glue the laterally-extending side flaps when they pass beneath them. spreading-plate H extends beneath the gluepan 78, so as to retain the flaps in their laterally-extended position until theyare engaged by the gluing-roll.

After the carton passes the gluing-roll the side flaps are engaged by the guideplates S2 53, which turn in and fold the two side flaps.

As already stated, the weighing and package-filling machine has a step-by-step move- 1 ment, and at each period of movement one of the artonanoving fingers S on the weighing-machine engages the finger-l? and through the ing movement. ton has been brought onto the plate 2 the rear carrier-lingers It) move the carton to a posimechanism to go through one stage of tion short of engagement with the gluing-roll, I

during which movement the rear and front fiaps will be folded and the side llaps extended. At the next period of movement the fingers It) will engage the carton and move it beneath and astgluing-rolls. After passing the glu- The intermediate mechanism causes the seal- I At the first step after the caring-rolls the succeeding packages will engage and push forward those in advance until they pass between the guides, which fold the side flaps and carry them as much farther as may be desired before removal.

\Yhat I claim is I. In a machine for closing the flaps on the upper end of filled cartons, mechanism which moves the filled cartons in an upright position in a horizontal path, a rearwaidly-projecting arm pivoted above the path of movement of the filled cartons, said arm being pivoted to oscillate in a vertical plane and being provided with a downwardIy-turned flap-folding finger, mechanism which swings the flap-folding finger forward in the direction of movement of the carton into engagement with the rear [lap on the upper end of the carton, and means by which the carton-moving mechanism controls the starting of the flap-folding mechanism.

2. In a machine for closing the flaps on the upper end of filled cartons. cartonmoving mechanism, a rearwardly-projecting arm having a linger which overhangs the path of movement of the lilled carton, said arm being pivoted so as to oscillate in a vertical plane, mechanism controlled by the carton-moving mechanism to swing the said flap-folding linger downward and forward into engagement with the rear [laps of the carton, and spreaders controlled by the movement of the said end-[lapfolding arm to spread the. side llaps before the folding of the said rear llap, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for closing the flaps on the upper end of filled cartons, a reciprocating slide which carries carton-moving fingers, a rearwardly-projecting arm having a tiap'folding linger which overhangs the path of movement of the filled carton, said arm being pivoted so as to oscillate in a vertical plane, a spring which tends to turn said arm and linger downward, a rod connected with said slide and having a stop which engages said flapfolding arm to hold the linger above the path of the carton and which is moved by said slide in its forward movement with the carton so that the flap-folding arm yields to the pressure of its spring and causes the linger to fold the rear flap, the said connecting-rod and stop being actuated by the rearward movement of the said slide to again raise the flap-folding arm, substantially as descrilmd.

In a machine for closing the flaps on the upper end of lilled cartons, carton-moving mechanism, a rock-shaft having secured thereto a rearwardly-projecting arm having a flapfolding linger which overhangs the path of movementof the filled carton, a spring which tends to turn said rock-shaft in a direction to swing the flap-folding finger downward and forward, rearwardly-extending arms journaled on said shaft on opposite sides of said flap-folding arm having wedge-fingers adapted to engage and spread the side flaps when moved downward and having springs which tend to swing said arms downward, the movement of said side arms being controlled by the said flap-folding arm, a movable stop controlled by the movementof the carton-carrier to prevent the rock-shaft from yielding to its spring until the said carrier moves, said stop being moved by the forward movement of the carrier to permit said flap-folding finger to move into engagement with the rear end flap and permit the side fingers to engage and spread the side flaps, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for closing the flaps on the upper end of a carton, carton-moving mechanism, a rearward]y-projecting arm having a flap-folding finger which overhangs the path of movement of the carton, said arm being pivoted so as to oscillate said finger in a vertical plane, mechanism controlled by the moving carrier to swing the flap-folding finger downward and forward into engagement with the rear flap of the carton, vertically-swinging arms hung at opposite sides of said endfiap-folding arm, and whose movement is controlled by the movement of the said end-flapfolding arm, said side arms being provided with wedge-fingers which partially spread the side flaps, and a rearwardly-extending tapering arm which engages the forward cartonflap and folds it over the first folded flap and spreads outward and two side flaps, substantially as described.

6. In a machine forhandling cartons,aslide, means for reciprocating said slide, a rearwardly-extending arm pivotally connected with said slide and provided with a finger which points transversely of the path of movement of the carton, mechanism actuated by the slide in the first part of its forward movement to swing said arm and bring the said finger transversely of the path of movement of the carton, the slide in the latter part of its forward movement drawing the said finger forward, and mechanism actuated by the rearward movement of the slide to swing said arm and finger outward in the first part of its movement and then move them rearward, substantially as described.

7. In a machine for handling cartons, two reciprocable slide-blocks movable on parallel guides, driving mechanism connected with one of said slide-blocks, an oscillating lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends to the other slideblock, one end of said lever having a slot which engages with a pin on said driven slideblock, the other end of said lever having fixed thereto an arm which extends rearwardly outside of the path of movement of said slideblocks, said arm having a carton-moving finger which points transversely inward, stops carried on opposite sides of said lever, and adapted to alternately engage with the block to which the lever is fulcrumed and limit the turning movement of said lever and cause it to then move with the slide-block.

8. A machine for filling and closing cartons having weighing mechanism including a scale, mechanism for filling the carton, mechanism for closing the flaps which form the top of the filled carton, an intermittently-moving carrier which moves the cartons to the scale and from the scale to the top-closing mechanism, means by which the tipping of the scale controls the starting of the carrier, and means by which the moving carrier controls the starting of the top-closing mechanism.

9. In combination with a carton filling and weighing machine, a scale, an intermittentlymoving carton-carrier, which successively moves the cartons to the scale and carries them from the scale, means by which the tipping of the scale controls the starting of said carrier, mechanism for closing and sealing the flaps which form the top end of the carton, mechanism which moves the filled packages from the place where they are deposited by the carrier of the weighing-machine, to positions for receiving the operations of the closing and sealing mechanism, driving mechanism and mechanism having clutch connection therewith which actuate the flap closing and sealing mechanisms and carton-moving mechanisms connected therewith to each perform its part of the operation of moving,

folding and sealing one carton at each cycle of movement, arresting mechanism which disengages the said clutch at the end of each cycle of movement, mechanism actuated by the movement of the carrier of the weighingmachine to release said arresting mechanism from the clutch, and means for again engaging said clutch, whereby the carton weighing and filling mechanism controls the closing and sealing mechanism to complete the closing and sealing of one carton for every new carton that is filled and weighed, substantially as described.

10. In a machine for handling cartons and giving them a step-by-step movement along a track, a reciprocating head, a lever pivoted to the reciprocating head carrying an arm which extends rearwardly outside of the path of movement of the carton and provided with a finger at its rear end which points transversely of the path of movement of the carton, and mechanism actuated bythe initial rearward movement of the head to move the said finger away from the path of the carton and actuated by the initial forward movement to draw the finger inward transversely of the path of movement of the carton and mechanism which retains the finger in the last-mentioned position during the forward movement, substantially as described.

ll. In combination. weighing mechanism, mechanism for filling cartons, mechanism for closing the flaps which form the top end of the lilleil carton, an intermittently-movingv carrier which moves the cartons from the scale to the top-closing mechanism, and means by which the tipping of the scale controls the starting of the top-closing mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have aflixeil my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. DOBLE.

\Vitnesses:

WILLIAM A. COPELAND, R01; ERI \VA LLAO n. 

